Tiger's Voyage (4 page)

We were all wearing hiking boots and smooth seamless cargo pants that Ren had made with the Divine Scarf. He had looked up styles on the Internet and had the Scarf create them in multiple colors. He claimed my apple-green shirt would protect my body from UV rays and could wick moisture away and be breathable at the same time. I had to admit the shirt was comfortable, and to show him how much I liked it, I had twisted my hair into two long French braids and tied an apple-green ribbon to the bottom of both tails.

Kishan wore a brick-red shirt of the same fabric, but it had a pocket on the side seam, while Ren wore a seamless cerulean-blue shirt that clung to his muscular frame. He was still thin, but he’d started to gain weight back in the weeks he’d been home, and his daily workouts with Kishan were showing results. It obviously didn’t take long for his muscles to make a comeback.

“Can you even breathe in that shirt, Ren?” I teased lightheartedly. “You probably could have gone a size up.”

Ren replied, “The shirt is tight so it doesn’t inhibit movement.”

My snort turned to a giggle. Then, spurred on by Kishan, the giggle changed to loud peals of laughter.

“It’s not like there are any pretty waitresses out there in the jungle, Ren. There’s no reason for you to show off your muscles.”

Still laughing, Kishan claimed the driver’s seat.

As I grabbed the door handle, Ren leaned over and murmured in my ear. “In case you didn’t notice, your shirt is pretty tight too, Kelsey.”

My mouth dropped open.

“And there it is.”

I punched him on the arm and hissed, “There
what
is?”

He winced and rubbed his arm, but grinned. “Your lovely blush.”

He hopped into the car and playfully shoved Kishan aside so he too could listen to Mr. Kadam’s driving instructions along with his plea that Kishan maneuver carefully and not crash the car.

I got in the back and clicked on my seatbelt, deciding to ignore the brothers’ antics. They tried to bring me into the conversation, but I paid no attention to them, burying my nose in a book instead.

They talked the entire way, and I was fascinated by their conversation. I’d never heard them speak to one another so …
civilly
before. Ren told Kishan about the first time we’d visited Phet and politely asked me to fill in the blanks. He remembered a lot of it. He just somehow forgot anything that applied to me.

I spoke of the amulet around my neck, the henna hand tattoo that Phet had given me, and of how we figured out it gave me the power to access the mythical cities. Ren didn’t remember that at all and had no idea how he got into places with me out of the picture. He just drew a blank.

By the time we arrived at the Yawal Sanctuary, Ren was pretty desperate to get out of the car and away from me. He took off on foot, walking through the trees.

Kishan watched him go and reached around me to grab the big backpack with all the weapons. He slid it over his shoulders before he locked the Jeep.

“Shall we?”

“Sure.” I sighed. “He’s pretty far ahead now, isn’t he?”

“Yes. Not too far though. I can easily follow his trail.”

We walked silently for a few minutes. Teak trees loomed over us, which was nice, because they provided shade from the hot sun.

“We’ll hike to Suki Lake and then have lunch and rest during the hottest part of the day.”

“Sounds good.”

I listened to the crunch of my steps as I walked over the bracken covering the jungle floor. Kishan was a silent, steady presence beside me.

“I miss this,” he said.

“Miss what?”

“Hiking through the jungle with you. It’s peaceful.”

“Yeah, when we’re not running from things.”

“It’s nice. I miss being alone with you.”

“I hate to break it to you, but even now, we’re not alone.”

“No. I know that. Still, it’s more alone than I’ve been with you in weeks.” He cleared his throat. “I heard you the other night when Ren came to your room.”

“Oh. Then you know he gets sick around me. He can’t touch me.”

“I’m sorry. I know it causes you pain.”

“More like it causes him pain.”

“No. He’s only hurting physically. You’re hurting emotionally. It’s difficult to go through that. I just wanted you to know that I’m here if you need me.”

“I know you are.”

Kishan reached over and took my hand as I looked up into his golden eyes and asked, “What’s that for?”

“I wanted to hold your hand. Not everybody cringes in pain when touching you, you know.”

“Thanks.”

He smiled and pressed a kiss on the back of my hand. We walked another couple of hours in silence, holding hands the entire time. I reflected again on the differences between Kishan and Ren. Ren was always talking or writing. He liked to think out loud. He said that not communicating was the most frustrating thing about being a tiger.

In Oregon, Ren would bombard me with questions every morning. He’d answer questions I’d long forgotten and talk about things he’d been thinking about all afternoon as a tiger and couldn’t tell me.

Kishan was the opposite. He was still, silent. He liked to just
be
, just
feel
, just
experience
the things around him. When he drank a root beer float, he delighted in the experience and gave 100 percent of his attention to it. He soaked in his environment, and was happy keeping to himself.

I was comfortable with both men. I could appreciate the quiet and the nature more with Kishan. But with Ren near, I was so busy talking with him and,
I’ll admit
, staring at him that everything else diminished.

As Suki Lake came into view, we found Ren standing at the water’s edge skipping pebbles across the surface. He turned to us with a smile and saw our clasped hands. His grin faltered briefly, but then he teased me and smiled again. “It’s about time you two caught up. You’re slower than honey in the refrigerator. I’m starving. What’s for lunch?”

I shrugged off my backpack. My shirt was stuck to my skin. I peeled it away and crouched down to unzip the pack. “What would you like?”

Ren crouched down next to me. “I don’t care. Surprise me.”

“I thought you didn’t like my cooking.”

“Nah. I like it fine. I just didn’t like all of you staring at me while I ate, expecting each bite to jar a memory. In fact, I wouldn’t mind some of those chocolate-peanut butter cookies.”

“Okay. Kishan? How about you?” I shaded my eyes and looked up at him. He was watching Ren.

“Just make me the same thing you make him.”

The brothers went off to throw pebbles across the lake and I could hear them laughing as they competed with each other. I asked the Golden Fruit to create a picnic basket for us filled with lemonade; fresh hot biscuits with butter and an assortment of jams and marmalades; a cold pasta salad with olives, tomatoes, carrots, and a lemon vinaigrette; a giant box of tangy Hawaiian
BBQ
chicken; and my chocolate-peanut butter cookies.

I used the Divine Scarf to create a red-and-white-checked blanket and spread it under a tree. Our picnic was ready.

“Lunch is served!” I shouted.

The brothers wasted no time. Kishan reached for the chicken, and Ren, the cookies. I smacked their hands away and handed each one a bacterial wipe.

Kishan grumbled, “Kells, I ate my food raw off the ground for three hundred years. I really don’t think a little dirt’s going to kill me.”

“Maybe not, but clean hands make me feel better.”

I handed them the giant box of chicken and took a biscuit out of the basket, buttered it, and spread marionberry preserves over it. Leaning back against the tree, I watched the dappled sunshine through the leaves as I slowly ate my biscuit.

“How far to Phet’s? It only took Ren and me a day or so to hike out there last time.”

“We’ll have to sleep in the jungle tonight,” Kishan answered. “We’re on the far side of Suki Lake.”

“Oh. Hey! Save some chicken for me!” I cried as the box was quickly emptying. “How can you two wolf down that much chicken in just a couple of minutes?”

“Serves you right for staring into space,” Ren said.

“I wasn’t staring into space. I was appreciating the environment.”

“I noticed. Gave me a good opportunity to ‘appreciate the environment’ myself,” he smirked, teasing me.

I kicked his foot. “You should have at least saved me
something
.”

Ren grinned and handed me one of the last drumsticks. “What did you expect? Two or three
tiny
chickens to feed two hungry tigers? We need something at least the size of … what would you say, Kishan?”

“I’d say something the size of a small buffalo.”

“A small buffalo
would
be good or maybe a goat or two. Did you ever eat a horse?” Ren asked.

“Nah, too stringy.”

“What about a jackal?”

“Nope. Killed several though. They liked to hang around and wait for me to be done with my kill.”

“Boar?”

“At least one a month.”

“What about a … are you okay, Kelsey?”

“Can we change the topic of conversation?” The chicken leg drooped in my fingers. I stared at it and imagined the animal it used to be. “I don’t think I can eat this anymore. In fact, no more talk about your kills at the dinner table. It’s bad enough I had to see you two hunt.”

Ren chewed and teased, “Now that I think about it, you’re just about snack-size. Don’t you think so, Kishan?”

Kishan studied me with a teasing glint in his eye. “I’ve often thought Kelsey would be fun to hunt.”

I glared at Kishan. He bit into a biscuit and winked.

Ren pulled his knees up to his chest and laughed. “What do you say, Kelsey? Want to play hide-and-seek with the tigers?”

“I don’t think so,” I said haughtily as I carefully cleaned my fingers with another wipe.

“Aw, come on. We’d let you have a head start.”

I leaned back against the tree trunk. “Yes, but the question remains … what would you do when you caught me?”

Kishan buttered another biscuit while he tried unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

Ren leaned back on his elbows and tilted his head as if seriously considering the question. “I guess that would be up to the tiger that caught you. Wouldn’t you say, Kishan?”

“She won’t run,” he said.

“You don’t think so?”

“No.” Kishan stood and suggested we walk another hour or two then set up camp for the evening. He crouched down next to me and touched my shoulder. “It’s pretty hot now. Let me know when you get tired,” he said and walked off into the jungle to find the trail.

“Kishan’s right. I won’t run,” I affirmed as I sipped my lemonade.

Ren sighed. “That’s too bad. Most of the time the fun is in the chase, but I suspect with
you
the capture would be equally interesting.” He stretched out a finger and brushed it against my cheek. “Made you blush again.”

“I suspect it’s a sunburn,” I said and glared.

He stood and offered his hand to pull me up. Once upright, I let go immediately.

Grabbing the box of cookies, Ren said softly, “It’s
not
a sunburn.”

He swung my backpack onto his shoulders and strode off after Kishan. With nothing to carry, I mentally instructed the Golden Fruit and the Divine Scarf to make our picnic scraps disappear and trotted after Ren.

We hiked another two hours before I had to call it quits. Ren leaned up against a tree a few feet away, and Kishan used the Scarf to create a small tent.

“That’s not big enough for two tigers, Kishan.”

“We don’t need to sleep next to you, Kells. It’s hot. We’ll just make you miserable.”

“I don’t mind it, really.”

Kishan wet a cloth and touched it to my face.

“That feels good,” I said gratefully.

“You’re overheated. I shouldn’t have made you walk so far in one day.”

“I’ll be fine. Maybe I should make up a magic milk bath with the Golden Fruit, huh?” I laughed.

Kishan considered and grinned. “A giant bowlful of milk with you in the middle might be a little too much for us cats to resist.”

I smiled but was too exhausted to come up with a flip response.

“I want you to relax now, Kelsey. Take a nap.”

“Okay.” I went into my tent to bathe my arms and the back of my neck with the wet cloth. The tent was so stifling, I was soon back outside. The two tigers—one black and one white—were resting in the shade of a tree nearby. I heard the soft gurgle of a stream. The heat was definitely making me drowsy.

I sat down between the tigers with my back to the tree. After my head dropped for the third time, I cushioned it on Kishan’s soft back and fell asleep.

Fur tickled my nose. I mumbled and turned my head. I heard the call of a bird, blinked open my eyes, and saw Kishan sitting with his back against the tree, watching me quietly. He was barefoot and wearing the black clothes that appeared every time he changed back from a tiger.

“Kishan?” I lifted my head, confused, knowing I had fallen asleep on his soft, sable fur. My hand was pressed against Ren’s white shoulder. “Ren?” I quickly scooted back next to Kishan, who put his arm around my shoulders. “Ren? I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?”

I watched as Ren’s tiger body morphed into his human frame. He pushed up from all fours into a crouch. The late afternoon sun glinted off his white shirt while he considered me musingly. “It didn’t hurt.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You moved in your sleep. It didn’t burn or cause me any pain at all.”

“How long?”

“A little over two hours.”

“You didn’t feel the need to escape? To get away from me?”

“No. It felt … good. Maybe I need to be a tiger around you more often.”

He smiled, switched back into a tiger, walked up to me, and stuck his nose in my face. I laughed and awkwardly reached up behind his ear and scratched. He made a rumbling sound in his chest and collapsed at my side, twisting his neck so I could reach the other ear.

Kishan cleared his throat, stood, and stretched. “Since the two of you are … getting reacquainted, I’m going to stretch my legs a little, maybe do a little stalking just for fun.